mel@houxm.UUCP (08/21/83)
I sit here typing this on a new "ergonometric" keyboard, and would like to vent my spleen on the "human engineering" nitwit that foisted this off on us. It is the keyboard of the DEC Rainbow 100, but is similar to many of the new keyboards (IBM PC, for one other). First the good points: A) The keys never miss. They have absolutely perfect "n-key rollover" and anti-bounce. You can't fool it - ever. B) The keys are well formed, with the right spacing, and relief. I touch type, and have used a wide variety of typewriters and terminals for many years, and I find I type on this keyboard (except as noted below) with no double key or mis-key errors. The RETURN, CTRL, TAB, and SHIFT keys are all big and on the edges where they should be. C) The keys have no feel at all, but the keyclick (with adjustable volume) and the nice way they soft-bottom makes up for it. The typing feel is fine. These are all overwhelmingly negated by the negatives: 1) The left SHIFT key is too far over to the left. Nobody's pinky stretches that much (so much for "ergonometrics"), and I have big hands. There is no way to "get used to" this mis-feature. After 7 months of daily use, I still keep getting <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<'s when I want a capital letter (< is the extra key where the SHIFT belongs, and it auto-repeats). There is no way in the world that DEC or IBM could have tested this design out with a touch typist. 2) The whole unit is too big. It measures 21" wide by 7" deep, HUGE. It takes up too much space on the desk and interferes with manuals, papers, listings, coffee cup, or whatever else needs to be on the desk. In particular, the right hand 8", all garbage keys, sits right where I usually have whatever copy I am working from. Who needs INSERT-HERE, PREV-SCREEN, ADDINL-OPTIONS, F17, F20, PF2, PF4, etc. keys? Nobody! There isn't any popular software anywhere that uses or needs all these keys. The "numeric pad"? What use is that way over a hand's width away from the DELETE or BACKSPACE key? It doesn't have a + or * or / or SPACE key, either. 3) Cursor keys? Well, at least they aren't shift keys. But what is the "human engineering" of: up is up, left is left, right is right, and down is in the middle? And these are also out of reach. 4) COMPOSE-CHARACTER? That is an extension of the space-bar. Off to the left and not too easy to hit, but usually a disaster when it is (it sends a string of control codes). I just ripped that out and threw it away - along with the CAPS-LOCK key, a big key between the A and CTRL - too easy to hit, and I never use it. 5) How about ESC, BACKSPACE, BREAK? These are buryed up on a top row, well above where your fingers can reach. There are 20 of these up there. Who can remember which does what? The markings are on a little removable strip BEHIND the keys. You can't read the strip unless you are standing while you type. The indicator lights are also in that strip, and can't be seen unless you are standing (or in a dark room). 6) The regular keys auto-repeat, but none of the control keys do. Why? What "human engineering" principle says that? How could anyone who uses a screen editor let that one get by? (Maybe no one in DEC does.) 7) How about that neat scene, where the laid-back DEC engineer is typing on the sea-side deck with the keyboard in his lap, the doggie at his feet. Ahh, the good life! Forget it. The keyboard is way too wide. You type on the leftmost portion, the righmost tips it over. The curly cord is too short and springy and pulls the thing onto the floor, and there is no place to rest the palms of your hands. So much for "truth in advertising". All-in-all it is a perfectly horrid design. But widely touted as being "ergonometric" and "well human engineered". Why? How can major products be released onto the public with such awful engineering? What can we do to keep our companies from doing the same things? Mel Haas , houxm!mel